logo
Sharjah Chamber wraps up trade mission to India

Sharjah Chamber wraps up trade mission to India

Gulf Today13-07-2025
The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), represented by the Sharjah Exports Development Centre (SEDC), concluded its trade mission to India, with a series of business meetings and discussions involving key officials from economic entities in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
These meetings took place on the sidelines of the Business Forum organised by the Sharjah Chamber in Ahmedabad, the second stop of the mission.
The forum explored key opportunities for both sides to strengthen economic partnerships and deepen industrial and investment collaboration between Emirati and Indian private sector stakeholders.
The forum was attended by Abdallah Sultan Al Owais, Chairman of SCCI; Waleed AbdelRahman BuKhatir, Second Vice Chairman of SCCI, and Jamal Mohamed Sultan Binhuwaidin, SCCI Board Member, along with several Chamber staff.
The forum also saw participation of business leaders, entrepreneurs and private sector representatives from both Sharjah and Ahmedabad, which is recognised as a major industrial hub in India.
The forum's agenda included focused B2B meetings and detailed presentations highlighting key investment opportunities across diverse economic sectors in both Sharjah and Ahmedabad.
Special emphasis was placed on Sharjah's business-friendly environment, including its world-class infrastructure and investor incentives. The Sharjah Chamber showcased its suite of support services aimed at enabling entrepreneurs to scale their operations and expand their global market reach.
In his keynote speech, Al Owais said that the Sharjah–India Business Forum in Ahmedabad is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the rapidly growing economic and trade relations between the two countries.
He noted that India's exports to the UAE totalled around US$37.1 billion in 2024. India also ranked as the top destination for the UAE's non-oil exports, accounting for 13.5% of total exports and recording a record growth of 75.2% compared to 2023.
'Through this mission, we aim to convert this positive momentum into fruitful partnerships between the business communities of the UAE and India in general, and between Sharjah and Ahmedabad in particular, thereby enhancing economic and investment collaboration to support joint growth,' Al Owais added.
He highlighted Sharjah's position as a premier investment destination for Indian enterprises, with more than 20,000 Indian companies now headquartered in the emirate, demonstrating increasing investor confidence in Sharjah's business climate.
He further underlined the strategic significance of Ahmedabad as one of India's most vibrant industrial and economic powerhouses, noting that its business and industrial stakeholders stand to benefit from Sharjah's advanced industrial base, which hosts more than 35% of the UAE's total manufacturing facilities.
Concluding the second leg of their trade mission to India, the Sharjah Chamber delegation carried out on-site visits to several economic institutions in Ahmedabad, where they gained insights into their business activities and service offerings.
These visits featured discussions on potential areas of cooperation, industrial integration, exchange of expertise, and the adoption of best practices, to establish investment partnerships that serve the interests of both sides.
WAM
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Automotive e-fuel market to grow 33.1% CAGR by 2034: report
Automotive e-fuel market to grow 33.1% CAGR by 2034: report

Zawya

timean hour ago

  • Zawya

Automotive e-fuel market to grow 33.1% CAGR by 2034: report

The global automotive e-fuel market is expected to reach a value of $42.1 billion by 2034, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33.1 per cent from 2025 to 2034. Governments are using strict emissions regulations to encourage the use of e-fuels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, offering financial incentives for companies to develop sustainable fuel technologies, according to a report by Global Market Insights. E-fuels are considered a sustainable option for reducing emissions in sectors where electricity supply is not feasible, including aviation and shipping. Expanding e-fuels production will help meet the growing demand for sustainable alternatives to traditional fossil fuels. E-fuels are compatible with existing gasoline and diesel engines, making them a cost-effective solution for reducing carbon emissions without requiring immediate replacement of vehicle fleets. This makes them a versatile option for reducing emissions in transportation sectors that are difficult to convert to electricity. In 2024, the US DOE 45ZCF-GREET guidelines listed renewable gasoline (HEFA-derived e-gasoline) as meeting ASTM D4814, signifying that drop-in e-gasoline can be used directly in existing gasoline engines and supply chains without alteration. E-fuels reduce reliance on oil imports by offering a domestic alternative and enhance fuel supply stability by providing a storable liquid energy source, ensuring consistent availability. Using renewable energy to make e-fuels ensures they are carbon-neutral, cutting overall emissions compared to fossil fuels. In 2024, US EIA data show motor gasoline imports fell by 75,000 b/d to 651,000 b/d, and DOE projects that scaled e-fuel production could further decrease oil import dependence. Manufacturers aim to reduce carbon emissions and implement eco-friendly production processes to minimise their environmental impact and enhance their reputation among consumers. This commitment is leading to more investment in technologies that reduce carbon emissions, including hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels. For instance, Brazil's Ministry of Mines and Energy approved GM's $1.42 billion investment to produce ethanol-capable hybrid-flex vehicles, leveraging local biofuels policies to lower transport emissions. Energy firms and automakers are collaborating to build e-fuel production and distribution networks, leveraging their expertise to create efficient and sustainable energy solutions for the transportation sector. These partnerships aim to accelerate the transition to cleaner energy sources and reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector. The rising consumer ESG pressure and demands for sustainable options push manufacturers to offer e-fuel-compatible vehicles to meet evolving consumer preferences. This shift towards environmentally friendly products is motivated by an increasing awareness of how conventional gasoline-powered vehicles impact the environment. Efforts are concentrated on reducing costs along the e-fuel supply chain, with a specific emphasis on expanding green hydrogen production. For instance, in 2024, global electrolyser CapEx fell by about 45 per cent compared to 2021, enabling green hydrogen scale-up and cutting e-fuel production costs throughout logistics and processing. The global market for automotive e-fuel was valued at $1.9 billion, $2 billion, and $2.6 billion in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. The market is segmented into e-gasoline, e-diesel, e-kerosene, ethanol, and e-methanol. The US automotive e-fuel market is valued at $160 million, $170 million, and $220 million in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. This market is driven by strong R&D investment, tech innovation, and state-level policies. The European automotive e-fuel market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 31.6 per cent till 2034, driven by strict emission regulations and ambitious carbon-neutral targets. Major policy frameworks and government funding accelerate e-fuel production and adoption across all transport sectors. The Asia Pacific automotive e-fuel market is estimated to reach $6.2 billion by 2034, with the region prioritising technological development and e-fuel integration to meet growing energy demands. The push for sustainable energy solutions is fuelled by increasing awareness of climate change and the need for cleaner alternatives. Japan reaffirmed its Basic Hydrogen Strategy in 2023, aiming for 15 GW of water electrolyser installations by 2030. The Middle East & Africa automotive e-fuel market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 33.3 per cent up to 2034, with growing investments highlighting the region as a future low-cost e-fuel producer and exporter. The Latin America automotive e-fuel market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 32.2 per cent till 2034, with abundant renewable resources for cost-competitive green hydrogen production. The top four companies in this market are Porsche, HIF Global, Arcadia eFuels, and Norsk e-Fuel, accounting for approximately 30 per cent of the market share. These firms focus on producing synthetic fuels using renewable energy, green hydrogen, and captured CO2, enabling near carbon-neutral operation of ICE vehicles and supporting decarbonisation in the automotive sector. Porsche has heavily invested in e-fuel production to complement its electromobility strategy, particularly for high-performance ICE vehicles. -OGN / TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2024 Al Hilal Publishing and Marketing Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (

Trump's push for a comeback in coal may turn to ashes: Maguire
Trump's push for a comeback in coal may turn to ashes: Maguire

Zawya

time2 hours ago

  • Zawya

Trump's push for a comeback in coal may turn to ashes: Maguire

(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.) LITTLETON, Colorado - U.S. President Donald Trump has singled out the coal industry as a key driver of U.S. energy dominance, but there are currently no new U.S. coal plants under construction and utilities have identified quicker and cheaper paths to boost power supplies. In the first few months of Trump's second term, he has signed several executive orders and deployed federal funding aimed at reviving the coal mining and power sectors. But U.S. utilities continue to prioritize adding renewables, batteries, gas and nuclear power ahead of new coal-fired capacity based on the cost and efficiency. Even the coal export market has only limited growth potential, as Indonesia and Australia - much larger exporters - boast far quicker and cheaper access to key buyers in Asia, the only region showing a sustained increase in coal demand. That means that even with strong support from the federal government, the U.S. coal sector may still struggle to generate any sustained growth over the near to medium term as global energy systems continue to lean towards cleaner power supplies. AGING OUT There's been six times more coal power plants retired than constructed in the U.S. this century, which underscores the scope of the challenge facing even the most ardent coal bulls as they try to engineer an industry revival. Between 2000 and 2024, nearly 166,000 megawatts (MW) of outdated coal capacity was retired in the United States, according to data from Global Energy Monitor (GEM). And even though around 26,000 MW of new U.S. coal plants have been constructed since 2000, the newest - the Sandy Creek Energy Station in Texas - came online over a decade ago. This has caused total U.S. coal power generation capacity to drop by around 42% in the last quarter century, to around 194 gigawatts, according to Ember. The rapid retirement pace reflects the age of the U.S. coal power network, as more than 80% of all U.S. coal power plants were built between 1950 and 1990, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). And over 75% of the remaining plants are already 40 years old or more, exceeding their expected lifespan. Several power networks have delayed the closure of some aged plants on the grounds that keeping them operating will avert potential power shortages. And the Trump administration has exempted several coal plants from new emissions standards that would have forced them to close within the next decade. However, the power generation sector is handling less and less coal as more plants have been retired and replaced by other forms of generation. Indeed, since 2000 there has been a 65% decline in the amount of coal used by the power sector, data from the Energy Institute shows. There is thus little appetite among utilities to construct new coal plants, given the plethora of alternatives available to them that can generate power more quickly and cheaply and with fewer emissions. COAL CRUTCH The drop in coal-fired U.S. power has led to a sharp fall in domestic coal mine output, which has more than halved since 2000 to just over half a billion short tons in 2024, EIA data shows. Wyoming (237 million tons), West Virginia (85 million tons), Pennsylvania (43 million tons) and Kentucky (28 million tons) were the top coal producing states in 2023. Lower mine output has triggered steep cuts to the number of people engaged in coal mining, which peaked this century in 2011 at around 91,600, but contracted to around 45,500 by 2023, EIA data shows. Every major coal mining state has been affected by layoffs, with some harder hit than others. Kentucky has seen coal employee levels drop by over 70% since 2011, while Pennsylvania and Virginia have seen employee numbers fall by nearly half. EXPORT CHALLENGE The hardships resulting from these mass layoffs have helped turn the coal mining sector, which is primarily found in Republican "red" states, into an influential political force, as candidates look to tout their industry-friendly credentials. This has certainly been the case with Trump. Beyond encouraging power networks to increase use of coal in generation, the Trump administration has recently approved mine expansions on federal land in order to boost supplies for export to Japan and South Korea. Targeting Asia makes sense given that the region's buyers already account for over half of all U.S. thermal coal shipments, data from Kpler shows, as well as 80% of global coal consumption. However, U.S. market share in the region can only grow so much, as rival exporters such as Indonesia still boast a significant advantage in terms of shipping times and cost. The journey time for a possible coal shipment from Westshore export port in British Columbia - the main exit point for coal mined in the Western U.S. - to Japan is around 15 days, according to LSEG. In contrast, the journey time from the largest coal export point in Indonesia to Japan is nine days. In addition to cutting the journey time by over a third, Indonesian coal exporters can also offer lower coal costs and larger cargo volumes, an attractive combination for large-scale importers. That means that U.S. vendors will likely only be able to eke out piecemeal sales to Asian buyers, while bigger exporters secure larger and more regular trade flows to the region's utilities. In combination with declining coal demand by power plants at home, this will likely leave the coal mining sector struggling to generate sustained demand for its output, regardless of how much support it enjoys in Washington, DC. The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters. Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), your essential new source for global financial commentary. ROI delivers thought-provoking, data-driven analysis of everything from swap rates to soybeans. Markets are moving faster than ever. ROI can help you keep up. Follow ROI on LinkedIn and X. (Reporting by Gavin Maguire; Editing by Anna Szymanski and Marguerita Choy)

Only 56% Emiratisation could be realised last year, says federal report
Only 56% Emiratisation could be realised last year, says federal report

Gulf Today

time9 hours ago

  • Gulf Today

Only 56% Emiratisation could be realised last year, says federal report

A parliamentary report has revealed that 3,971 male and female individuals had been appointed to federal government positions in 2024, out of a total of 6,200 created in last year's budget for government entities. Of these, 2,214 were citizens, representing 56 per cent of the total positions. Meanwhile, the total number of non-citizens appointed reached 1,757, representing 44 per cent. This reflects the challenges of replacing national cadres, particularly given the ongoing shortage of key specialisms such as education, health and engineering. Consequently, 2,229 job vacancies remain unfilled. A copy of the report, obtained by Al Khaleej, indicated that 5,043 new job vacancies were created in 2023, but only 3,638 of these were filled. Of these, 1,910 were filled by citizens and 1,728 by non-citizens. In 2022, 2,446 vacancies were created, 2,953 of which were filled, including 1,458 by citizens and 1,495 by non-citizens. In 2021, 2,100 vacancies were created, 1,902 of which were filled, including 961 by citizens and 941 by non-citizens. The report indicated that Emiratisation targets had not been achieved during the 2023-2024 fiscal period, based on the number of positions actually filled compared to the total number of vacancies. Last year, 44 per cent of appointments to vacant positions in federal government agencies were made to non-citizens. Despite the allocation of a large number of jobs, he stated that the Emiratisation rate reached only 56 per cent of the total vacant positions during the 2024 fiscal year. This percentage falls short of the country's aspirations to increase the number of Emirati employees, which is a worrying indicator given the shortage of strategic specialities such as education, health and engineering. It also highlights the discrepancy between educational outcomes and the required specialisms, as well as the unattractiveness of jobs in the federal sector, given that the federal government salary schedule has not been updated since 2012. The report also stated that, given the ongoing failure to meet appointment targets within federal government entities, unused financial allocations have been made for the years 2023–2024 to cover the costs of promotions and appointments within ministries and federal entities. The cost of positions that became vacant after the implementation of the early retirement programme at all federal entities, which ended in 2022, was deducted. An allocation of Dhs249 million was made for 2024 and Dhs276 million for 2023. This reflects the challenges of replacing national cadres and filling vacant positions in the absence of clarity over the mechanisms for transferring retirees' expertise or replacing them with qualified national competencies, which will have a negative impact on the achievement of Emiratisation targets in federal entities. Conversely, several Federal National Council members questioned why 35 per cent of the budget allocated for vacant positions in 2024 was not utilised, and why 44 per cent of the appointed positions were filled by non-citizens. They emphasised that any position that a citizen can fill is a right of the citizen and should not be assigned to anyone else. Najla Ali Al Shamsi, a Council member, emphasised that many jobs in government agencies have gone to non-citizens, despite us seeking employment for our children in the private sector through 'Nafis'. Dr. Mariam Obaid Al Badawi, a council member, said that 35 per cent of the budget allocated for vacant positions in 2024, representing more than a third of the budget for government sector jobs, went unused. Furthermore, 44 per cent went to non-citizens. If the excuse is a lack of qualified nationals to fill these positions, the question arises: What has happened to the plans adopted by higher education policies to match university graduates with the labour market? Dr. Nidal Mohammed Al Tunaiji, a council member, explained that we raised the same observations regarding vacant positions last year. "We are looking beyond the numbers of vacant positions and those appointed to them, as well as the impact of these numbers on social and economic development," Dr. Al Tunaiji said. She pointed out that there are vacant positions for which allocations are available, and that there are lists of graduates waiting for an opportunity to secure a job that would provide them with a good social life and family stability. However, these amounts are returned to the government budget because they are considered surplus, and not using them to fill these positions is a challenge.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store